wes welker

Dealing with an undisclosed illness, Ravens starting defensive tackle Arthur Jones has already been ruled out of the team's season-opening game Thursday against the Denver Broncos.

Three-receiver sets were by far the most commonly used personnel grouping in the NFL last season. Even the Ravens used them on nearly half of their snaps. By putting an extra wide receiver on the field, the Ravens are able to stretch defenses and take full advantage of Flacco's strong arm. They are still trying to determine which three wideouts are their best combination, but the three-receiver sets are here to stay in Baltimore and in the NFL as a whole.

The punishment was clearly appropriate given the seriousness of the trangressions even while they play out in court, but it leaves the Broncos' scouting department in disarray.

Regardless of who starts at cornerback opposite Lardarius Webb, Corey Graham and Jimmy Smith will be on the field together more often than not.

In eager anticipation of the 2013 NFL season, Matt Vensel of The Baltimore Sun will take a daily look at one of the 13 opponents on the Baltimore Ravens' schedule. Today's team is the Denver Broncos.

"You don't replace Anquan" Boldin. Those are the words of Ravens wide receiver Tandon Doss, the man who is expected to be one of the leading combatants in the offseason royal rumble to replace the veteran receiver who was traded to the San Francisco 49ers.

The Baltimore sports scene is blessed with a bunch of talented bloggers who bring their unique perspective to the conversation. This week, we exchanged emails with Dan Ciarrocchi, a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association who writes about fantasy football for Pro Football Focus and the Redskins for Hogs Haven.

Tavon Austin was selected eighth overall by the St. Louis Rams, who made a trade with the Buffalo Bills to draft him in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft.

Now that we know that Tavon is heading to St. Louis, let¿s take a look at how he will fit with the Rams.

Austin is quick to admit being a first-round pick probably wouldn't have been the case a few years ago, when NFL teams wouldn't have coveted a 5-foot-8, 174-pound receiver who did most of his damage out the slot, no matter how slippery he was in the open field.

Austin conducted a private workout for the Rams in Morgantown, W. Va., continuing his meetings with the NFC West club after previously visiting them in St. Louis.

The Ravens won¿t get their season-opening home game, like reigning Super Bowl champions have for the last decade. But they will play four prime-time games, including a Thanksgiving night home showdown against the rival Pittsburgh Steelers, and a much-anticipated rematch with the Denver Broncos to kick off their Super Bowl XLVII title defense.

As you probably know by now, the NFL will release its regular season schedule tonight at 8 p.m. on the NFL Network.

Alec Lemon, an Arundel graduate who starred for the Syracuse Orange, is patiently waiting for the 2013 NFL draft.

West Virginia wide receiver Tavon Austin is visiting the Detroit Lions today, concluding his busy travel schedule.

The projected first-round draft pick has visits this week with the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns and St. Louis Rams, according to a league source with knowledge of the situation.

The NFL offseason heats up on Tuesday when the free agency period begins and the NFL draft will take place next month. In anticipation of those events, blogger and reporter Matt Vensel will look at six key positions the Ravens might address in free agency and the NFL draft in the days leading up to the start of free agency. Today, he looks at wide receivers.

The NFL's annual pre-draft meat market wraps up Tuesday, but one of the players generating the most buzz at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis was former Dunbar star Tavon Austin. His 4.34 in the 40-yard dash Sunday validated the gigabytes of electrifying game tape the wide receiver compiled at West Virginia. Will he be there when the Ravens pick?

Former Dunbar standout Tavon Austin is projected to be drafted in the first round of NFL draft

West Virginia standout says he's run a 4.29 in the 40-yard dash in workouts, plans to do a full workout at combine

Baltimore Ravens safety Bernard Pollard may love the aggressivneess of football but that doesn't mean he wants his son to play the sport one day

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree might not have the wow factor and name value of some of the league's elite receivers, but it will take a team effort from the Ravens secondary to limit the damage in the Super Bowl.

Ravens strong safety punished by NFL

This week, Baltimore Sun reporters Aaron Wilson and Matt Vensel looks back at the Ravens' previous game and that of their next of opponent.

Anna Burns Welker's Facebook rant about Ray Lewis -- and her subsequent apology -- shows the danger of taking to Facebook, Twitter, et.al. in an "emotional and irrational" state.

New England Patriots wide receiver's wife had ripped Baltimore Raves middle linebacker

Anna Burns Welker, wife of New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker, posted some not-so-nice things about Ravens inside linebacker Ray Lewis on her Facebook page after last night's AFC championship game.

For a big chunk of Sunday's AFC championship game, the New England Patriots dominated the 60 yards between their 20-yard line and the 20-yard line of the Ravens. The Patriots refused to let the Ravens flip field position in the first half and spent much of it entrenched in Ravens territory. But when the Patriots crossed that 20-yard line, the Ravens, as they have done all season, protected the red zone with a barricade of bodies.

Matt Vensel makes four predictions about the Baltimore Ravens vs. the New England Patriots for the AFC championship.

Baltimore Sun staff members predict AFC and NFC championship games, most see 49ers vs. Patriots in Super Bowl

Jeff Zrebiec's scouting report for Ravens vs. Patriots

Baltimore Ravens cornerback Cary Williams allowed nine receptions in 31-30 win over New England Patriots in September.

For the Ravens to leave Foxborough with a win this time, they must find a way to slow down Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, something few teams have been able to do.

Ravens safety James Ihedigbo talks about facing the New England Patriots, his former team, in the AFC championship game.

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver David Reed explains why he wore Lee Evans' No. 83 at practice.

Every morning, Monday through Friday, blogger Matt Vensel will hook you up with reading material -- mostly on the Ravens but with some other Baltimore sports stuff, too -- to skim through as you slug down coffee and slack off at the start of your workday.

Corey Graham, Jacoby Jones and Justin Tucker are Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome's latest key finds

Baltimore Sun columnists Mike Preston and Peter Schmuck predict Ravens upset of New England Patriots

Baltimore Ravens wary of New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker